Summary: A variety of moments set aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and beyond . . .

Notes: Here we go again with the Star Trek drabbles for the [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_fiction_resource/b10304/31719208/p1/?14]UDC VI[/link]. If you are interested, my prior Star Trek threads can be found here:

Week I: and I replied: captain, there are fair skies and calm seas ahead

I. Lights

She had never been beyond Earth's atmosphere before leaving for Vulcan. Her hands shook as she buckled herself in, and if she had her eyes closed for the whole of their trip through the atmosphere, then her new husband was smart enough to say nothing to it.

But then she heard him say: ?Amanda, open your eyes.? His deep voice was as soothing as the bond which rippled at her mind, drawing her to look past him ? and to the stars beyond - their light igniting the inky expanse of space, spilling over everything and making it whole.

II. Camera

?Oh, if only I had a holocorder, so that you could see your face.?

?You're not helping, Joc.?

?Baby ? just open your eyes for two seconds.?

?I'd rather not see my eminent demise, now quiet ? I'm trying to make believe I'm not in a rickety bucket of bolts that's plunging through nothing at the speed of light.?

?Suit yourself,? Jocelyn teased, even as her hand tightened comfortingly over his. ?But Leo . . . if you saw this,? her voice caught with wonder at the sight of the stars. ?then you'd agree that this is a mighty fine way to go.?

Nyota bit her lip for just a moment before blinking.?They're open!? Instantly, her eyes were drawn to the violent swirl of stars beyond the viewport, tumbling over each other in a harsh symphony of light; her breath instantly catching in her throat as she looked with a child's awe on the worlds awaiting her.

Amanda smiled in bemusement as Spock dutifully listed the stars around them. His hands were very small, and very pale, as they slipped over the viewport glass ? the only betrayal of wonderment on the stoic child's countenance as he blinked against the starlight, amazed. His eyes perfectly reflected the light from beyond, igniting her own wonderment anew.

Winona held the baby in her arms up so he could see the night sky all the more clearly. Iowa at night was a veritable cornucopia of celestial wonder as night spread her star studded skirts over the earth ? entrancing all with an ancient mystery. The child cooed happily at her words, sharing her old delight (her husband's great delight) in the worlds beyond their own as he held a hand to the sky, as if to capture it.

Sadly, she smiled. ?Alright Jim ? that one. We'll see that one first.?

Ever the master of layers and the use of multiple elements, I am plesantly reminded of your skill. I loved how you not only use the theme words, but the practical action of character being urged to open their eyes.

Lights- You have such a grace when writing Amanda and Sarek. I can tell that not only do the characters demand the read respect, but you have a great respect for them yourself. This was a touching moment.

Camera- What? Is this for real? A Jocelyn-Leo moment before they hated each other's guts.
It was fun to see them young and carefree; well Leo isn't so carefree but you get my meaning. Leo has been been scared of 'heights' for a long, long time.

Action- I enjoyed this moment of sisterly teasing and awestruck wonder. Nyota now knows where she belongs.

Roll- Amanda is an astute observer and both Spock's human awe and Vulcan need for decorum shine in your narrative.

Shoot-Iowa at night was a veritable cornucopia of celestial wonder as night spread her star studded skirts over the earth ? entrancing all with an ancient mystery.

this was such a wonderfully written sentence, I couldn't help but pull it. I imagine the night sky above Iowa farlmand is quite majestic.

Author's Notes: Because I had so much fun dabbling with Amanda last week, I figured that she deserved her own set.

Week II: a summation of medians

VI. Adventure

Vulcan was harsh, hot, and dry; but for all of Vulcan's heat, her people were cool (even though Amanda knew the core of them to be different). Even with that knowledge, she was already fed up with T'Pau's not-quite-barbed remarks, and a part of her itched to show the matriarch just how 'human' she could be.

Her fledgling marriage was her anchor on this world of contradictions. The dramatic red cliffs, and the cloudless expanse of the night skies were compensation indeed as Sarek showed her a side of Vulcan few would ever see. In more ways than one.

VII. Romance

Kissing, she knew, was a purely human invention. Vulcans were different ? the touched their first two fingers in the ozh'esta. Their hands were sensitive, and the psi receptors on their skin flared and thrived under the contact, allowing bonded pairs to open and reaffirm their mental link. When Sarek said that such a simple touch was more intimate than a touch of lips could ever be she had not believed him. Maybe she agreed with him now, maybe she didn't ? but either way, she still lifted her tingling hands to pull his face down to hers. After all, logic dictated a thorough and extensive comparison.

VIII. Science

?Now, from Polaris connect the line to Merak and Dubhe ? humans call this the 'Big Dipper', but the Dubhines call it the schaito'k ? the homeward light.?

Approaching her husband and son on the terrace, Amanda called, ?Don't you think that he's a little young to remember all of that??

Sarek blinked over at her. ?By his age, I was already studying theoretical movements of celestial bodies.?

His face was completely serene, but she could feel his dry humor. Smirking, she bent over the baby in her husband's arms, and whispered, ?Aren't they lovely?? hoping that someday the child would embrace both views.

XI. Fiction

While still on Earth, she had considered it her solemn duty to expose him to everything wonderful that the Terran race had to offer. Books (these years later, she has yet to get her copy of Lord of the Rings back), food (yes to the Thai, no to the Mexican), drink, (she had tried making English tea, but Vulcans ? for all of their culinary deficiencies - could brew a mean pot of their own), and anything and everything she could think of.

It's a balancing act, his world and hers, but every once in a while the blurred lines were beautiful to behold.

X. Comedy

He has a sense of humor that few understood.

Bound completely to him, she could glimpse it fully ? the times when he recited poetry in his mind during dull council meetings (all backwards, and every verse in a different tongue, mind you), and the dry remarks that went right over his opponents head in debates ? she was astounded that she was the only one fighting back a smile half of the time.

Subtle, soft, and easy to miss ? this is the neat summation of her fascination, a maze that she was content to spend the rest of her days transversing until there was no more to understand.

Author's Note: I have a grab bag of drabbles this week, seeing as how the muse couldn't just sit still and pick something already.

Enjoy.

Week III: ?between the parallels of your dimensions?

XI. Wings

Bones was almost positive that the Enterprise was not designed with the maneuvers that Sulu was currently putting the ship through in mind. And he was almost completely positive that the warp core was not made to do what Scotty was claiming it to do. And the Vulcan's logic was off this time. Completely.

They could only do the impossible too many times before McCoy made good of his threat to loose his lunch from one more sharp turn.

From the Captain's chair, Jim caught his eye with a smug grin. ?This would be the 'boldly go' part of the mission statement.?

XII. Unforgiven

The memory was an unforgiving thing. Memory ? of his wife's smile, her soft assurances, and the tender swell of her stomach. Memory ? of ends, and red flames, and hopes torn asunder.

The mind was an unrelenting thing. Thoughts of what-ifs, and could-have-beens, and thoughts of blame clouding it until there was room for little else. Thoughts of futures rewritten, and the destiny of Romulus ? his family in this time restored.

The heart was an unending thing ? feeding Nero's pain, and keeping his memory alive until his mind was lost to the thought of revenge, and nothing else.

XIII. Rocky

Ten days into their mission, Spock realized that Kirk hated paperwork as much as he created reasons to fill it out.

Thirty-two days into their mission, they saved over a hundred souls in the course of five minutes due to quick thinking and a clever tongue.

One hundred and eight days into their mission, Spock indulged Kirk's ?remember when? with a nod, and careful silence before he let the Captain put him in checkmate.

Ten thousand days and a handful of seconds after their mission, Spock was convinced that James T. Kirk was the finest Captain Starfleet would ever know.

XIV. Titanic

Nyota could feel his indulgence at the back of her mind. And as such she could feel his amusement at her emotions as clearly as she could feel his mind slip away from the plot of the old world Terran film in order to puzzle over stray calculations, or events from earlier in the day. She reached over to pinch him every time ? insisting that he needed to pay attention to get the full impact of the film.

By the end, she was completely undone, her eyes misting as she asked: ?So, you didn't like it??

Spock gave a long pause. ?I found the orchestral scores to be acceptable.?

XV. Crash

In the end, George Kirk knew perfection in the sound of an infant's wails ? piercing and cutting and full of so much life. Winona was crying, but he could hear the joy past her tears ? the wonder past her sorrow. Instinctively, his hand clenched as if to fight the urge to dry her eyes ? knowing he could do so no more.

His son in his ears, and his wife in his heart, George Kirk carried his love until his final breath ? and with his death, he preserved the family he so cherished even as he paved the way for a legend to thrive.

His son in his ears, and his wife in his heart, George Kirk carried his love until his final breath ? and with his death, he preserved the family he so cherished even as he paved the way for a legend to thrive.

Deb: He indulges her in so many ways. And I am glad you enjoyed that line! It was the first drabble I wrote for the set - call it inspiration.

Nat: I know! It's easy to see where Nero is coming from, but the actual empathy for him is slaughtered when he turns for the worse. And Spock definitely has some Sherlock like qualities. Would that make Kirk Watson?

?So, I am thinking of this really useful provision that Starfleet has for all of its ships. They're well trained, armed, and theoretically dangerous. And guess what their job is, Jim??

?What's that, Bones??

?They're hired and paid to be the ? you guessed it, the security on away missions.?

?I have no idea what you are talking about,? Jim grimaced as the hypo pierced his neck - the latest of treatments for his last minute heroics. The gunmen on the other side had looked worse, he had sworn.

?Well, they're the guys whom you're putting out of a job, that's for sure.?

XVII. Operation

And then there were some days when the odds against him seemed insurmountable.

Some days simply couldn't be saved, no matter what. And even their great victories came with their casualties ? the tide and price of war, he knew ? had known upon entering Starfleet. After three years into their mission, and he had lost five-hundred and twenty-three men and women - merely of his own crew. He told himself that this was a fraction of the number he had saved, but that didn't change the agony of every notice he had to pen.

Kirk took a deep breath, and started:

We regret to inform you . . .

XVIII. Life

The first time Christine Chapel stood in a triage situation, she had been unable to hold her bile down.

Around her the klaxons wailed, and their low flash of lights threw malicious shadows in gross imitations of the patients upon their tables. McCoy's orders pierced at her head, and the sticky blood on her hands made her gag if she thought of where it came from.

In the beginning, she had studied medicine to save lives, but the tangibility of life lost was a shock to her system that she had thought she had been prepared for.

She had been wrong.

XIX. Sorry

His first thought was that her blood was very red; glinting in the sparse light, a dark stain against the rich expanse of her skin. The blow was glancing ? worse than it looked, and in the bond binding their minds, he felt her assurance as a desperate and calming thing.

Across from them, the alien guard smirked over his bloodied blade; his yellow teeth a greasy slash in the half light. It was a mistake.

?You will regret that,? Spock informed the guard. His voice was completely level, but his eyes held a promise.

And his threat was well served.

XX. Risk

The bandages were white and sterile against the dark cast of her skin. She looked more paler than normal -from the blood loss, his mind logically knew ? a waxed and waning thing that his vision held onto almost greedily. Gently, he brushed his hand against the fabric binding her arm, feeling her blood beat beneath as if seeking an assurance.

?Worth the risk?? Nyota's eyes were peering as she looking up at him, the warmth and concern within them something tangible against his mind.

Spock's fingers stilled against her pulse. ?Of course.? The words were only a half truth.

#17. Operation -- ah! To never lose the empathy and compassion or courage, this is what makes a true leader, one worth following. One senses the sorrow, right down to questioning if one life lost is worth the many saved, the automatic answer is yes. And of course, it is a definite pro, but one's heart aches for just one life lost, although it seemed a necessary thing or unavoidable at the time.

#18. Very true to even our day and time. A selfless healer still has balkings about the physical side of the job, doubtless.

#19 and #20. My sweet wonderful... precious!!!!!!!!!! darlings, for the bond, for the promise.

Oh, how brave like Liz she is, and how instantly and completely knight in armor he is, like Kyp -- without fanfare, without needing to explain or justify. With each breath & heart beat, I love them more than the second before.

I think you just inspired something, my indispensable, invaluable muse.

Jade: Your thoughts made my day! Yes, there is such a difference between the empathy that drives one to medicine, and the darker times when you just can't save them all. And that two-fer was just for you! Of what it spawned you already know my thoughts.

Nat: ! No, I cannot see Kirk doing the subtle sarcasm while wearing sweater vests. Oh, but that was a fun mental image though. And thank-you for your breakdown, I did so enjoy reading that!

Author's Note: Alrighty, after a wee bit of a delay, here is the next batch - with a little bit of mush to make up for last week's angst-fest. I hope you enjoy.

Week V: and I will say your heart is mine

XXI. Rated

?I'll give you a solid six, George Kirk, but no more than that.?

Because really - just because her first kiss was his as well didn't mean that Winona had to allow that silly grin to remain on his face. Even if, fifteen and breathless, she decided that she just maybe loved him. That was something he didn't need to know. Not yet.

?I think I might have been a eight ? you just don't want to admit it.? His voice was a low drawl ? like sweet iced tea and lazy summer days.

Winona crossed her arms. ?A seven ? maybe. Don't push it.?

XXII. Guidance

After their first kiss, Nyota realized just how new to that very human form of affection he was ? and she enjoyed the opportunity to instruct him. She enjoyed placing his hand on her hip before cradling her own hand delicately across his neck. His affections were always so gentle ? like dew on the flowers, or the wind dancing through sails ? and she reveled in seeing how she could push him, letting loose the passion she could feel like an ember against her mind.

It was a reversal between them ? student to teacher, and learned to learner, but it was one she delighted in.

XXIII. Suggested

Jocelyn Monroe was a firecracker with a drawl that was deeper and smoother than his best whiskey. She blew into his life with the grace of a storm - with a sawboned tongue that matched his own scathing wit, and a kiss that demanded more than suggested. And even while his mind protested ? insisting that they were a flame to burn bright only to flash out ? he admitted the truth of the matter: that she was a tide; an undertow. And like the sands which were eaten from the shore, he wanted nothing more than to give to the force of her.

XXIV. Caution

?You didn't take the hypos I prescribed, didn't you?!?

?They hurt my head,? Gaila Falen-raz moaned, pressing a very green palm to her forehead. Her long curls were sweat soaked, and her eyes were fever bright as they locked appreciatively on his own.

?Then you tell me, and I try another combination with less side effects,? McCoy seethed. The Orion woman took a steady dose of pheromone suppressants in order to attend the Academy, and for some reason she always sought him out as her physician.

?But don't you like these side effects?? she purred, and McCoy slapped her hand away with impatient ease.

At first, she had kept her calm, her cool, her professional demeanor. She had sat dutifully at his side, as first his student and then his aide - and there had been a careful distance between them that no one could disapprove.

At first, she had not known the power of telepathic bonds ? the sensation of knowing and being known so completely.

At first, she had not understood the power of a touch to unravel her, the power of a whisper in the dark to curl in next to her soul.

Now, content by his side as she slept, she wondered why she had ever hesitated.

XXVII. Graphic

Sometimes she wondered at his ability to be so professional ? for no matter how much she tried to focus herself, her mind couldn't keep from remembering those blank eyes dark and clouded with passion. She saw the long lines of his neck work when he spoke, and she remembered what it was like to trace them with her tongue. Upon his own work, his hands were swift and assured; but she remembered them clever and worshiping upon her skin. His rich voice spun over the point he was explaining, but the thrill it curled and stoked in her was the farthest thing from the admiration of officer to officer.

XXVIII. Violence

She was, he found through the years, something he could not meditate away. In the beginning, his attachment for her had been a curious turn of feeling ? she was his student, and then his aide. A certain level of fondness was to be expected. But, eventually, the violence of his emotions was something he found surprising each and every time it attacked him so. It was a tide, overwhelming and moonspun. Someday, he thought, he would acquaint himself with the odd surge of feeling which she inspired. And sometimes, he thinks not . . . A part of him, human and deep, almost preferred the latter to be so.

XXIX. Language

Akilah Uhura had learned as many languages as she could at her husband's side. While she may have tripped over the discordant tones of Umbari; or slurred through Slathar's silken tongue, she memorized endearments and beloved sayings which she used to communicate with her husband.

As a child, Nyota had observed her parents odd ritual with her sister ? and both of them had made exaggeratedly gushy faces to tease. But she remembered.

Now, she finds lilies from Babel placed on her bedside stand, and notes with endearments in a dozen tongues ? I love you expressed in so many ways and more. And she understood.

XXX. Drugs

It was illogical, to need another so ? to crave another so. But she was now the start and end of his thoughts. She was the straight cast to his mind during the day, and the quick step to his stride as he turned to her after his duties were done at night. It was a simple satisfaction ? the smile on her lips and the curve to her kiss; and it was soon as necessary to him as breathing.

Drugging, he thinks that Nyota had once called it. In the back of his own mind, secret and shadowed by her own, he agreed completely with her.